The sharp scent of blood hit me as I stepped out of the storage alcove.
"Another poisoned!" someone shouted, the word sharp and bitter over the chaos in the medical tent.
I pushed through the curtain, a tray of chakra-sealed gauze still in hand, only to see three more stretchers being carried in. Bodies twitching, lips pale, veins dark under their skin; sadly, it was a familiar sight over the last few days.
Ren met my eyes across the crowded tent, her chakra already glowing at her palms. "This one's worse than before," she called. "Pain, spasms, organ stress... it's new."
Not again. The last strain of poison the Sand used was difficult enough to figure, but we managed. This one screamed experimental, cruel, so I knew in my gut that Chiyo had transferred to this front.
"Ren, focus on stabilizing vitals. Tomo, clean the wounds and prep for surgical removal if needed. Yuri, rotate your best through the back row to make sure some of our people get some rest before the next wave," I snapped commands as I moved to the nearest patient. "Where's Emi?"
"Working on isolating the newest toxin," Yuri called. "She's at the back with her samples. It's bad, Akari."
I already knew that. The evidence was right in front of me.
Across the room, Kurenai knelt beside a convulsing chunin, her hands glowing with soft chakra. Her genjutsu slid gently across the patient's temples like a mother's lullaby. The tremors slowed as the agony dulled. I watched as she carefully layered another illusion beneath it; subtle, anchored, and nearly undetectable, so it would not accidentally be dispelled. A perfect blend of relief and calm.
She looked up, met my gaze. "I can dull the pain for three or four at a time," she said. "But only if they're already stabilized. Otherwise, they'll crash."
"Good. Keep it up."
My hands were already forming the signs, and I summoned my Yin and Yang clones. A shimmer of chakra pulsed beside me, and my shadow stepped out of my own skin. Yin turned to me and gave a quiet nod before gliding silently to assist Kurenai, layering her own illusion genjutsu over the worst cases. A second figure took form in a burst of warm light. Yang smiled and knelt instantly, her palms glowing green as she pressed them against the chest of a man writhing in pain.
"Everyone stay sharp," I said. "This poison is new, but we've trained for the unknown. Focus. Trust your instincts and jutsu. Stabilize and report anything strange."
The tent blurred with movement. Cotton bandages snapped open, tools clinked onto trays, chakra buzzed in constant application. Outside, the sun had barely begun to dip, and we were already full.
Then... Boom.
A deep, distant explosion rolled through the air like thunder. All heads turned. For a heartbeat, even the patients paused.
Boom... A second explosion. Closer.
"Camp perimeter?" Tomo asked, eyes wide.
"No confirmation yet," Ren said sharply, glancing toward the entry flap.
The third boom sounded like it hit close... too close. The flap opened without warning and a masked ROOT agent stepped inside, silent as shadow. Everyone froze.
He did not look at the patients, not even at me when he spoke. "Commander Danzo has ordered Sarutobi Akari to the front. Immediate deployment."
Gasps rippled. Someone even swore. Kurenai stood like she had been shocked. Before I could reply, he vanished, and silence choked the tent.
Ren was the first to speak. "He ordered youaway from the medical tent? Now of all times?!?"
"We have our hands full with patients!" Yuri barked.
Kurenai stepped closer, her voice tense. "Akari… he can't be serious."
"He is," I said quietly, already walking toward my gear. "But it's fine. I'll handle it."
"But..."
I pulled open the side panel of my pack and drew out a monkey mask that I had begged my father to make for me several years back. The lacquered ANBU-like design gleamed in the light with a five-colored circle, representing the five main elemental releases was under the black Konoha symbol. I slipped it into place.
"You were ANBU?" Kurenai asked with surprise.
"Not quite, but I carried out enough missions for my father that I earned one. My Yin and Yang clones will stay," I said as I fastened my gauntlets with practiced ease. "Kurenai, work with Yin. Yang has healing covered. Everyone, focus on the patients. I'll deal with what's outside."
And with that, I stepped into the golden haze of a dying sun, war calling just beyond the trees. The distant rumble of jutsu echoed through the open field, the grassy plains between the River and Wind countries already torn by battle. Explosions of sand and fire lit up the horizon, while the oppressive gleam of gold dust shimmered ominously beyond the rise. That could only mean one thing; Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, had entered the field.
The makeshift base camp was ringed by tall Earth walls, that had been reinforced repeatedly by Earth jutsus over the months, but they still would not last long under heavy attack. The medical tents and command center were at the core, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the Sand shinobi breached through.
Atop the western wall, overlooking the battlefield from a raised, covered platform of stone, stood Danzo Shimura. Cloaked in his eternal shadow of gloom, he surveyed the chaos below with a hawk's stillness. I climbed the stone steps with steady, purposeful strides, each one echoing dully against the unnatural silence between blasts.
"Sarutobi Akari, reporting as ordered," I announced.
He acknowledged me only with a slight tilt of his head. "The Kazekage has arrived. You are to engage and drive him away. We cannot allow the Sand to breach the camp's walls!"
"That's quite the assignment for a field medic," I said dryly, not hiding the bite in my tone.
Danzo's one visible eye did not flicker. "Hiruzen spoke highly of your capabilities, and your Tsunade's student. I expect results that reflect that."
Typical. I just clicked my tongue with annoyance and leapt down from the platform into the tall grass outside the wall. Danzo had made his move, yet I could not figure out his game.
Was this his attempt to pull me away from the medical corps to sabotage my leadership? To weaken my reputation, or my father's? Or did he assume I would die on the front? Or maybe, just maybe, he simply did not have anyone that he thought could actually win.
A smirk curled under my mask at the thought. Then, as quickly as it came, I pushed it aside as I summoned my clones, Water, Earth, Wind, Fire, Lightning, and Lava. There was a battle to fight, and this would be my first stage.
"Lightning, find Duy, Asuma, and Guy and order them to hold the medical division's perimeter. Do not let anything break through."
She nodded once and disappeared in a bolt of speed, a streak of white lightning arcing toward our tent.
"Fire and Wind, right flank. Earth and Water, left flank. Lava and I will take center and intercept the Kazekage. Focus on supporting each other and our people; protecting a life is more important than taking one."
"We can burn them as they run away, right?" Fire asked.
"Do you ever stop?" Water chided.
"Enough! Move out," I ordered.
As my clones dashed off in pairs, Lava remained at my side as I sped through a series of hand signs then slammed my hand down on the ground. Two twin bursts of smoke spiraled upward, and my monkeys appeared in front of me. Hana, sleek and silver-furred, her green scarf fluttering like a banner, gave a soft bow. Saru, broader, red-furred with his signature blue scarf, cracked his neck and grinned at the sound of combat.
Hana's kind eyes were already assessing the situation. "A battle?"
"Good. I've been getting bored," Saru snarled with smirk.
"Weapon mode... It's time to put on a show," I said confidently.
The siblings shared a look, then vanished in synchronized puffs of smoke.
The first tonfa came, Hana, sailing through the air with barely a whisper; the silver light catching the edges of its polished surface as it spun toward me. I reached up instinctively and caught it mid-flight; the metal cool against my palm. The weight settled perfectly into my grip, like it had been made for me. Intricate swirls were carved along the shaft, delicate but deep, almost like wind etched into steel.
Then the second came. Saru did not glide, he growled. A low, simmering sound in the air as the dark-toned tonfa tore toward me. I braced, catching him with my right hand as he slammed into my grasp, the impact humming through my bones. He was heavier, hotter, and had jagged red-orange cracks pulsing like veins over molten stone.
They were perfect for me since I could channel any of my elemental chakra through them and cast specific jutsus. Using more chakra, I could further transform them into elemental whips, allowing my range to extend by ten to fifteen meters while keeping their deadliness. I rarely used them outside of my hidden training grounds, but that did not mean I was a novice using them.
~~~~~~~
Akari's Lightning Clone moved like a thunderclap wrapped in silence; her feet barely kissed the grass as she streaked across the encampment. The camp was a blur of motion: squads forming, weapons being issued, chakra surging like a second heartbeat in every soldier.
She rushed passed them all and head straight towards their shared tent. She spotted them before she even reached it. Duy, Guy, and Asuma stood just outside, fully equipped and waiting. Guy bounced on the balls of his feet, his flak vest half unzipped and his green jumpsuit showing underneath. Duy stood with his arms folded, quietly scanning the horizon, and Asuma had a kunai between his fingers, twirling it absentmindedly, yet his eyes were sharp.
Lightning pulled off her mask and said without preamble. "You're to guard the medical tent."
The two boys froze.
"…The medical tent?" Asuma repeated. His face twisted. "You're kidding. Everyone's pushing to the front. Why are we being pulled back?"
Lightning folded her arms, eyes narrowing. "Because I said so. The medics are our lifeline. Danzo may have ordered me into the field, but I'm trusting you three with the only place that matters if things go wrong."
Guy raised his hand uncertainly. "But we're ready for combat..."
"You'll see combat," Lightning interrupted. "Sooner than you think. If the Sand are using poison, and they are, the medics will be priority targets. Sabotage, infiltration, assassins... You're not being benched. You're being trusted."
Asuma scoffed, not backing down. "You really expect me to sit there while everyone else gets thrown into that meat grinder?"
Lightning stepped closer, her chakra rippling subtly with the sharpness of lightning before a storm. "I expect you to follow the order I give you and protect the injured in the medical tent, including Kurenai who is working in there."
Asuma's fists clenched. For a moment, it looked like he would argue again. But then Duy placed a hand on his shoulder, gentle, yet unshakable.
"She trusts us," Duy said simply. "That means we give everything."
Guy exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Then we make the tent a fortress. No one gets through."
Asuma muttered a curse under his breath but finally nodded. "Fine. But the second we're not needed…"
"You'll stay out until Akari finds you," Lightning said, turning already. "Make sure there's still a camp to come back to."
"Wait, you're a clone? Where is my sister?" Asuma demanded.
"At the front, and the longer you argue with me, the more time that you're taking from me assisting her," she retorted.
"Go, I'll make sure the boys and the medical tent stay safe," Duy said.
"If you're in serious danger and consider using the Eighth Gate, channel your chakra into this. If she can, Akari will return quickly," Lightning stated as she tossed him a shuriken marked with the Fly Thunder God seal, though none of them would recognize it.
"I will," Duy promised.
With a nod, Lightning put on her mask then took off, back toward the front.
~~~~~~~
I turned my head as I heard Lightning approach with a crackle of her Lightning Body Flicker. I had not run ahead like my clones since I had been waiting for her return, so I was still a distance from the fighting, but the gold dust in the sky told me that Rasa was getting closer. Lightning, upon seeing Hana and Saru in their weapon forms, grinned excitedly.
"We're getting serious, huh?" Lightning asked.
"Yeah, but you are to support the troops across the entire field. Extract any wounded that you find and pick your targets carefully; single strike kills or move on," I instructed.
"Who's going to handle the 'Golden Boy'?" she asked with a mocking smile.
"We'll handle him," I replied.
She clicked her tongue with annoyance and complained, "You get to have all the fun."
"I'm the original, so of course, I do," I retorted. "Go!"
Lightning gave a mocking bow before she dashed off with a crackle of electricity. I sighed and shook my head while Lava chuckled.
"You let her get away with too much," Lave remarked.
"I let you all get with too much, but as long as you work and follow my directions, I'd rather not restrict myself," I said. "Alright, enough stalling. Let's make history."